The Invitation

A Story By Mike Tai

Written By Mike Tai

The school bus pulls up to the curb on a brisk fall afternoon. A woman hops off, followed by a little girl who also does a hop off the bus following right after her.. The bus driver assistant waves at her and tells her to have a wonderful evening, the assistant watches Julie get inside to her apartment building before getting back onto the bus and driving off.

Julie gets inside and starts searching her pockets, she checks one. Then the other. and then she has a frantic panic attack; eventually, she realizes she’s missing her key. She takes off her backpack and searches through all her messy assignments that she’s just crushed into her bag. She dumps it upside down, flips it, and tosses her bag to the wall. She scurries through the papers for her key, but to no avail. She begins to mope around while packing her belongings and cleans up the mess, she walks over to the apartment door next to hers and rings the bell. Apartment 5F. Behind the door foot steps start to get closer to the door and then it unlocks. Mr. Gordon, a rusty old man, opens the door and smiles upon realizing it’s little Julie from Apartment 5E. “Oh, well hello, young lady, how may I help you?” 

“ Hey Mr Godon, I am locked out. May I please borrow your phone to call my mother?”

 Mr. Gordon is very happy to oblige, “Of course come on in.”

Julie takes a step into the house but then stops. Mr. Gordon looks at her caught off guard by her sudden stop. “Something the matter?”

 She looks behind her and begins to whisper. Then she whispers, 

“Okay okay, I’ll ask him.”

Mr. Gordon looks on quiet and curious. 

She turns back to look at him.

“ Mr. Gordon, my friend Clara wants to know if she’s also welcome inside?”

            Mr. Gordon hesitates and looks behind Julie but doesn’t see anyone. She looks a bit disappointed as she anticipates his answer to be no. But Mr. Gordon plays along with Julie. 

“Why, of course! Clara can come inside. Come on in!” She looks back and smiles with excitement then looks at Mr. Gordon and runs inside. The apartment door slams behind her. Echoing through the empty hallway.

Julie is on the phone in Mr. Gordon’s kitchen, sitting on the stool, swinging her little legs as Mr. Gordon stands by, preparing her a little sandwich and some snacks to eat.

“I’m sorry mom! I may have lost them on the bus home.” her mothers conversation is inaudible but you can tell she is being scolded.

“ Okay! Okay! I will, I promise.” She hands the phone over to Mr. Gordon.

“Mr. Godon, my mom would like to speak to you.”

    He walks over and takes the phone as Julie jumps on and off of the stool.

“ Gordon speaking…haha ah no worries ma’am it is not a problem.”

Mr. Gordon continues talking on the phone, when Julie hears a door creaking. She looks over in that direction and she starts to mouth her words so as not to be too loud while Mr. Gordon was talking to her mom on the phone.

“ Stop it! Come back here!” It may seem Clara isn’t listening to Julie, so Julie runs off to the room and the door shuts . Mr Gordon looks behind him and then walks over to peek around the kitchen wall to see the room door closed. He turns back around and continues the conversation. “Oh no problem, I’ll see you soon Katherine.” As he hangs up the phone, the door reopens and he hears Julie laughing, as if she’s playing around with someone, she runs back into the kitchen. He turns around to see Julie running back and sitting on the stool, Mr. Gordon picks up the sandwich and juice he prepared for Julie. “I made you a sandwich young lady.” He smiles as he slides it in front of her. She begins to eat her Sandwich and suddenly a door slams really loud. Julie looks up as well as Mr. Gordon. “Well that’s strange, one of the windows might be open.” He looks at Julie and smiles, “Make yourself at home little one.” She continues to eat her sandwich as he waddles off with his cane and heavy steps. 

  Later on, Julie is sitting on the couch watching “As told by Ginger.” She looks up suddenly from the TV, and her eyes begin to trace the ceiling. She begins to laugh. Then she looks over her shoulder to Mr. Gordon plays a chess game with himself, then looks back to the ceiling and whispers. “Stop it. It’s not funny!” And giggles a little more.  The doorbell rings. Mr Gordon looks up from his chess match. “Oh! That might be your mother. Coming!” He shouts out. Mr Gordon gets to the door, when he opens it it’s Julie’s mom. “Mommy!” Julie shouts on seeing her mother. She grabs her bag, her jacket and stuffs her feet into her school shoes and runs over to the door. 

“Thank you so much Frank, I’m sorry to bother you.”

“ Not a problem, it’s really quiet around these days, I enjoyed the company.”  Julie runs to her apartment as her mom thanks him one last time as she walks over to her apartment with her keys jangling.” 

Mr. Gordon closes his door.

A few hours later, Clara is in her nightgown, her hair brushed straight and neatly, as she’s fully ready for bed. Her mother comes over to tuck her into bed as she jumps underneath the covers. Julie’s face looks a little troubled as  her mother notices and sits onto the bed. “What’s wrong hunny?” She lets out a sigh. 

“I can’t go to bed,  because Clara is not back yet.” Her mother tucks her into bed and gives her a kiss on the forehead and smiles. “Hunny, Clara isn’t real, now let’s get ready for bed.” Her mom walks away and turns off the lights. “Mommy…” Julie whispers, and her mother turns around. “Yes hunny.” Julie whispers to her mother.

“Clara doesn’t like when you say that.”

        Her mother smiles and blows her a kiss as she closes the door. 

Later into the night, Mr. Gordon continues his chess analysis. A creaking sound pierces eerily through the silent home. Mr Gordon looks up confusingly as he sees his door come to a stop. He gets up and his heavy steps echoes through the quiet home, he walks over to his bedroom door and the light goes out. He turns around with his back towards the entrance of his bedroom door.

“What the hell did the power go-“ Mr. Gordon is snatched by a force into the bedroom as the door slams shut instantly! 

The home of Mr. Gordon sits in complete darkness and silence.

  The following morning in Apartment 5E, Julie is in her school uniform preparing herself a little breakfast. Her mom is on the cellphone pacing back and forth while she also gets ready. 

  The doorbell rings, Katherine walks backwards to open the door, but there is no one there. She looks confused. However, an EMT walks by down the hallway, and police officers head towards the other end.. Katherine looks extremely confused as she registers the commotion going on in the hallway. “Hey! Hey! hey!” She runs out of her apartment, chasing down an officer. “What’s going on?” The neighbors begin to pour out of their apartments curious to all the noise going on as well. Julie stands at the entrance and then she makes a shift to the side as she looks at something walking past her back into the house. Julie whispers.

“That was not nice Clara.”

       Mr Gordon’s room: blood splattered everywhere. The bed is soaked with his blood as his entire body is skinned, parts of him  eaten, head to toe. Pieces of his skin dangle from the ceiling, his extremities strung out across the room. On the mirror stretched… His organs are unrecognizable; eyes, and his tongue ripped out of his head. The entirety of his furniture soaked in blood, frames a gruesome like altar, with  pentagram drawn on his wall above the makeshift altar; the symbolism of Satan drawn in his own blood on the wall. His soul damned to hell. 

     Julie traces her eyes down her hallway, all the way to her room. She begins to laugh and runs off into her bedroom continuing to play with Clara.

Her bedroom door slams shut. 

End.